The laboratory of ideas is the key element within the work structure of Factoría. In a way, it serves as the starting point and the final consequence of the project, and can be understood as the driving force behind the wide-ranging mechanism which regulates the creation of cultural content in the space, converting it into a centre which produces knowledge.
More than a workshop which allows for the realization of already formulated projects, the laboratory of ideas was conceived of as a fertile ground for dialogue, debate and collective research which lead to new projects. Knowledge ceases to be the means, becoming instead the product, as ideas are formulated and developed in a continuous process, generating projects which do not necessarily resemble their original form. More important than making possible the physical execution of an idea is helping to conceive of it; what is fundamental is to establish permanent research paths which deal with the most elemental questions in the creation of contemporary art and its social context.
Its ideology is not based on conventional approaches, it is not derived from traditional brainstorming and it does not aim to address isolated questions or needs. Its objective is to weave together a solid intellectual and creative discourse which is truly interdisciplinary, putting imagination in the service of different predefined creative paths in such a way that great objectives can be reached in the long run by means of a series of autonomous but cohesive microprojects.
Broadly speaking, IdeaLab is a forum open to the heterogeneous body of professionals who take part in education, management of public space and the analysis of social practices. It is oriented as much towards the integral training of these specialists themselves as towards that of university and secondary school students, and also for any citizens concerned with the most important developments in their living space. Its emphasis lies in theoretical formulation, thought, multicultural integration and the formation of a critical conscience for the citizenry.
